David Cameron says Britain is ‘heading in right direction’

David Cameron’s New Year message says Britain is heading in right direction (Picture: PA)

Prime minister David Cameron has used his New Year’s message to say Britain is ‘heading in the right direction’ on all the big issues.

Mr Cameron looked back on a ‘tough’ 2012, admitting that many families are finding it hard to make ends meet and saying he had ‘no quick fixes’ to the UK’s economic problems.

But in a video address, he said ‘we are on the right track’.

‘On all the big issues that matter to Britain, we are heading in the right direction and I have the evidence to prove it,’ he said.

The PM said there has been ‘real progress’ on cutting the state deficit, reforming welfare and improving school standards.

Mr Cameron said the current government is preparing Britain to succeed in the ‘global race’ with emerging economic giants like China and India for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

He said that his administration was ‘a government in a hurry’ which would not give in to pressure to slow the pace of deficit reduction or rein in reforms to welfare and education.

‘We can look to the future with realism and optimism. Realism, because you can’t cure problems that were decades in the making overnight. There are no quick fixes and I wouldn’t claim otherwise.

‘But we can be optimistic too because we are making tangible progress. We are doing what’s right for our country and what’s best for our children’s future.’

Mr Cameron said the deficit is forecast to be a quarter smaller in the new year than it was when the coalition government came to office, with almost half a million more people in work, and more than 1,000 new academy schools opened.

He added: ‘When people say we’ve got to stop our welfare reforms because somehow it is cruel to expect people to work, we are saying no. Getting people into good jobs is absolutely vital, not just for them, but for all of us.’

There was no mention of Britain’s future in the European Union, set to feature in a speech in the coming weeks, and gay marriage, which have caused divisions in the Conservative party over the past year.